Town Books

"Solving Sprawl" made me want to live in the places the authors describe. For my job, I typically have to read a lot of dry, boring reports and books about planning and policy. By providing great, color photos and true stories about how many of these places were created, I couldn't put this book down. "Solving Sprawl" does something that many people have tried, but few have done this well: it makes the businness of creating more livable communities interesting and engaging. Suddenly, smart growth isn't just something I read about happening in some far away place, it's something that can happen in my town, or anywhere.

If you are interested in how to make your community a better place to live without being bored to tears with "legalese" and "policy wonk talk," buy this book!!!

"Solving Sprawl" made me want to live in the places the authors describe. For my job, I typically have to read a lot of dry, boring reports and books about planning and policy. By providing great, color photos and true stories about how many of these places were created, I couldn't put this book down. "Solving Sprawl" does something that many people have tried, but few have done this well: it makes the businness of creating more livable communities interesting and engaging. Suddenly, smart growth isn't just something I read about happening in some far away place, it's something that can happen in my town, or anywhere.

If you are interested in how to make your community a better place to live without being bored to tears with "legalese" and "policy wonk talk," buy this book!!!

I have an advance copy of this book, and I hope Amazon gives it a full listing soon, because it fills a valuable need - showing people how our communities can grow and prosper without sprawl and the ugliness and damage it brings to our landscape and towns. The authors provide 35 inspiring examples of smart growth - development in cities and suburbs, along with green space preserved - all over the country, while disussing the relevant environmental and social issues.

Too often, environmentalists are criticized (and rightly so) for being too negative, pointing out problems without presenting solutions that work for the economy and for people's convenience. This book takes a most refreshing opposite approach, and backs it up with color photos and project data. The authors know what they are talking about, too: these are the same folks who wrote Once There Were Greenfields, the meticulously documented handbook on the problems associated with sprawl development. Solving Sprawl is the best thing I've seen yet on smart growth, and it should be a boon for anyone concerned with these issues. It was produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York, which has more information on its web site. Get it - you'll be glad you did.

This is a valuable and much needed reference that offers substance instead of rhetoric about containing sprawl with smart growth-oriented development. It persuasively demonstrates how smart growth projects across the country are succeeding in meeting people's housing and employment needs while minimizing environmental harm. Thirty-five projects are profiled in sections devoted to cities, suburbs, and conservation areas, each with project statistics and contacts. Its geographic diversity is especially impressive, from the nation's largest metropolitan regions to small rural towns. This is one of those rare volumes that works for professionals as a technical reference, and for community officials and citizens as an educational tool. It's an inspiring catalogue of some of the best neighborhoods and communities being developed in America today.

Solving Sprawl is a wonderfully lively, readable account of how 35 diverse communities from across the nation have managed to find solutions to the problems of sprawl. Examples from urban, suburban, and rural areas demonstrate numerous innovative strategies for protecting the environment while creating attractive, human-friendly places for people to live, work,
and play. The book is enhanced with photos, maps, and informative sidebars. This is an impressive, inspiring piece of work that succeeds as both an introduction to Smart Growth, and as a guide to translating Smart Growth theory into practice.

This is a highly readable, very informative account of the development of the Koloa sugar plantation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It contains one of the best summaries of our current knowledge of pre-contact Hawaiian culture that I have every read, and I have read a lot of books on the subject. That alone makes it worth owning.

The author also does an excellent job of introducing the various cultures that contributed to the plantation workforce, and tracing the plantation's history up to the modern era. There is a terrific final chapter that takes you on a walking tour of modern Koloa, pointing out historical sites, that I highly recommend. It deepened my understanding of the town and its history, and I can no longer drive through it without thinking about what it used to look like.

The one element that detracts from the book's quality is the author's uncritical nostalgia for plantation life, and his hostility toward modern American culture. Those mean government officials, forcing the plantation owners to pay social security retirement for their workers! Those rotten union organizers and their strikes! Dr. Donohugh doesn't portray his happy plantation workers quite the same way that partisan Southerners like to portray happy slaves from the antebellum era, but he comes uncomfortably close. This sort of reactionary anti-modernism combined with an uncritical reverence for the rural plantation life forms the one sour note in this otherwise wonderful work. Dr. Donohugh clearly feels we have lost something precious with the demise of the plantation system. Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, this book is still a great read for anyone interested in Kauai's history.

Fabulous historical work on most historical area of Kauai. Won Hawaiian
Publishers prize the year it was published

Often I read historical information on the English, French, Chinese etc. but this book was a particular find as many of its stories were entirely unknown to me -although I have visited Hawaii many, many times over the years. It helped me to appreciate the rich cultural history and not just the island's lovely beaches.

It has been a great pleasure to uncover this particular book. Nothing I have read thus far on the islands carries the thread to this depth.
Charles Braithwaite III

As a frequent visitor to Kauai and and from an old family in Koloa., I would like to compliment Dr. Donohugh for the thoroughness, accurate story. I found the story to be very readable, scholarly, and historically accurate. Since I am a friend of Dr. Donohugh I am staying with him and he was kind enough to share a copy with me. I plan on buying some for my relatives.

Sincerely,

Dorothea Ladd

Unbelievably accurate accounting of history as spoken by the natives themselves. History at it's best. We all frequently visit Hawaii but usually do not take the time to understand anything about the islands beyond the beautiful beaches. This is our book to learn and understand what this culture is really about. Easy to read. A must!

What at town to live in. I would just get lost in this little town in Georgia, if I could. It's such sweet writing and only does a heart good to read words of encouragement and inspiration like these. I wept, I laughed out loud and had a wonderful time reading the whole series!

If the Lovin' Spoonful had been in the Georgia village of Mossy Creek rather than Greenwich Village, they would know that hot time, summer in the mountains means plenty of fun, ole southern style. The townsfolk look for a quiet uneventful season, but also know their enemy in slimy Bigelow still remains on the prowl. Meanwhile the librarian pushes the Police Chief into bluffing an abusive parent while the Mayor leads by example applying common sense to seemingly difficult problems. Much of the townsfolk meet eating dessert at the diner, but along with fans will find hot fun in the summertime here.

The third Mossy Creek tale is a series of vignettes written by a virtual whose who of the irons maidens of the south (more talented than steel magnolias). The contributions differ in size while providing a slice of life in a small remote Georgia mountain town. Each story builds up on the previous contribution so that the audience receives an anthology that uses the best elements of a novel and that of a short story into a tremendous collection. SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK holds its own with its superb predecessors. Fans of the series already know that the first two books flow smoothly; the third tale shares in common with the previous duo a southern comfort smoothness.

Harriet Klausner

This charming small town series really comes into its own with the third book, Summer In Mossy Creek. It has something for everyone--laughter, tears, romance, and the cozy appeal of lovable eccentrics.

How to describe the charm of Mossy Creek? By turns hilarious and heartwarming, Mossy Creek is populated with the funniest, homiest, sometimes orneryist bunch of characters south of the Mason-Dixon line. If you like Southern humor and superb writing, go on down to Mossy Creek!

Book three in the "Mossy Creek Hometown" series, Summer in Mossy Creek is the collaborative effort of twelve women (Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, Martha Shields, Anne Bishop, Kim Brock, Patti Henry, Judith Kim, Bo Sebastian, Shelly Morris, Susan Goggins, and Carolyn McSparren) and offers the reader a wealth of unique, original, brief, and homespun tales, each of which arises from life in Mossy Creek, Georgia, a warm-hearted mountain town of simple joys, emotional gatherings, and wistful nostalgia. An immensely rewarding joy to read, Summer In Mossy Creek will compel those new to this series to seek out the earlier two volumes, Mossy Creek ... and Reunion At Mossy Creek ... -- and leave those already familiar with this outstanding series to eagerly await the next volume related the adventures of the folks who live, work and love in the community of Mossy Creek!

Although I haven't purchased this book, I have read a copy that I borrowed from a library.

This is a very practical book. It is nice to know that there is a way in which suburbanites can become less car-dependent, and that you don't have to live in a city's downtown core to become less car-dependent! I also like the idea of suburbs becoming more like traditional towns surrounding each big city. If suburbs were like traditional towns, they would be much more pleasant and more interesting places to live in.

Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods is a "self-help" book for urban and suburban neighborhoods. The suburbs are often car-dependent, land-hungry, strictly residential neighborhoods that are often isolated from schools, workplaces and civic centers. They often lack convenient links to parks and mass transportation and are typically not developed in ways conducive to meeting people.

But, these challenges provide numerous opportunities for positive change! People can reinvent their neighborhoods based on economic, environmental, and social values. Superbia! provides a checklist of Easy, Bolder, and Boldest Steps that can lead to safer, friendlier, livelier, healthier, more productive, diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Neighbors can chose the steps they think will create a stronger sense of place and connection to people, nature, and culture.

Easy Steps include sponsoring community dinners, establishing a community newsletter, and creating car and van pools for work commutes. Some neighbors have started book and investment clubs. For example, the Hillcrest Neighborhood Association in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sponsors a book club where neighbors "get together with fellow book enthusiasts to converse, discuss, and debate current bestsellers and classics," according to the group's website. Superbia! describes how there are hundreds of potential links between people within neighborhoods - links that can reduce time, human energy, and money spent by individuals on tight schedules as well as tight budgets. Easy Steps help people know one another better helping them discover links that lead to Bolder Steps.

Planting a community garden or orchard is a Bolder Step. A composting project can serve the community garden and individual yards. Planting shade trees and windbreaks reduces energy costs, provides wildlife habitat, and increases property values. The Highlands Neighborhood in Littleton, Colorado, took a Bolder Step by tearing down fences. There was already a neighborhood tradition of parties in backyards, but neighbors decided to go a step further and took down their six-foot fences and opened the space to the neighbors creating a better sense of community.

Boldest Steps include creating a community energy system and creating a common house and community-shared office. A Boldest Step was taken by New York's Darrow School when the failure of a conventional wastewater system provided an opportunity to install a Living Machine - a greenhouse-contained biological waste treatment facility that uses natural methods rather than harmful chemicals to recycle human waste. This system is also used as a hands-on laboratory for a variety of classes including science, chemistry, mathematics, and even art.

With a history of how the suburbs came to be, 31 ways to make the suburbs better, examples of people who have created more sustainable neighborhoods, and a Resource Guide, readers can actively transform their suburbia into Superbia!

Authors Chiras and Wann walk their talk. Chiras built and lives in a sustainable, solar home, and Dave Wann helped develop and lives in Harmony Village co-housing. They are also co-directors of the Sustainable Futures Society's Sustainable Suburbs project. Visit www.sustainablecolorado.org to learn more.

Susan Bilo is an energy and resource conservation consultant with Sustainable By Design, LLC.

To inject life, fun and spontanaeity into North American suburbs will not be easy. Many neighbourhoods were built after WW II, when land and resources such as electricity and gasoline were plentiful and cheap; developers, government and the public were not very conscious of there being limits to, or issues with, creating vast car-centric suburbs. Now, many of us live in an energy-inefficient home on a long, straight street that forms one line in a grid that is populated by far more motor vehicles than pedestrians. Here, we easily grow fat and sedentary, often not knowing who lives one or two doors away.
In Superbia!, the authors prescribe 31 steps to transform neighborhoods into places where there is a true sense of community, and where hard resources (e.g. cars, washing machines) can ultimately be shared by groups of families, and consumable resources (electricity, gasoline) are used in more environmentally responsible ways.
The encouraging news is that neighborhoods in the USA, Europe and elsewhere have implemented these 31 steps. It often took a lot of persuasion of local politicians and bureaucrats to, for example, tear up existing streets to make them narrower, for the purpose of calming traffic. While the authors, to their credit, indicate that some of the 31 steps are plainly challenging to implement, and ential people changing their mental models, the authors at times neglect to address the role and response of some key stakeholders as neighborhoods transform themselves. For example, as I read the steps about removing fences between people's yards, and subsequent encouragement of kids in the neighborhood to congregate in certain areas of this newly-created 'open' space, I visualized the trepidation that the insurance companies covering these homes might have; what happens when you encourage everyone onto your property, and then someone gets hurt? In general terms, I felt that the book could at times have been more rigorous in tipping off the reader as to what to expect from other stakeholders relevant to the transformation process.
I support what the authors propose. The main message I got from the book is: don't wait for politicians or developers to be the ones to build or retrofit neighborhoods that are environmentally sustainable, and offer building structures and juxtapositions to foster social cohesiveness; rather, strike out on your own, with the modest first step being to organize a potluck supper for your immediate neighbors. From there, transformation events can evolve; the authors have demonstrated, through numerous anecdotes, that this process can indeed work.

Superbia! is a strikingly simple book, proposing that neighbors can create
friendlier and healthier neighborhoods by getting to know each other and
working together. The beginning Steps it suggests are easy - things like
having neighborhood potlucks and baby-sitting coops - but the advanced steps
will take some real teamwork. You and your neighbors won't set up a
neighborhood energy system or buy a house for use as a common building until
a high level of trust is established. By the time the advanced steps are
taken on, the neighborhood will be like an extended family, with all its
benefits -- as well as liabilities.

But Chiras and Wann argue that the benefits far outweigh the liabilities.
For example, they don't propose a loss of privacy, but rather an increase in
options and flexibility. What do we do when the car won't start, we go on
vacation and the plants need watering, or we just need someone to talk to?
Call a neighbor.

This book is well-researched, documenting how neighborhoods took the shape
they did, with wide streets, huge lawns, and barricade-like garage doors.
The 50 million suburban homes in the U.S. (and all their associated
infrastructure) are then seen in the book as ingredients for cooking up a
better neighborhood. As the authors suggest, why can't we create common
areas for the kids and a community garden by donating parcels of our
backyards and creating a pathway where alleys used to be? Why can't we
establish a neighborhood recycling system, a carpooling and even car-sharing
system? Why shouldn't part of our yards also become low-maintenance, "edible
landscapes" that provide cherries and grapes rather than just grass
clippings?

As the book compellingly asks, Why can't we work together to save time,
money, and human energy, and in the process, have some fun? In the median
income U.S. household budget, $3,000 a year could be saved if our costs for
food, energy, entertainment, health, and transportation were reduced through
neighborhood efforts that also meet an often- expressed need for a sense of
community, and a sense of place.

What Superbia! is about is basic improvements in the quality of our
lifestyles. Less of an emphasis on buying our lives, and more on just living
our lives. Far from being just a Utopia-like dream, the book's ideas are
already being implemented in neighborhoods across the country, and several
chapters in the book are dedicated to case studies of each Step - where and
how it was implemented. Another series of chapters presents a fictitious
neighborhood that walks the reader through the evolution of the Fox Run
neighborhood, from suburbia to Superbia!

If your neighborhood association needs a spark of energy, get a copy of this
book and form a discussion group around it. At the very least, you'll
emerge with a roster of neighbors and a fresh perspective on what a
neighborhood can be.

"Researchers have demonstrated that a feeling of community reduces suburban depression."

The first pictures I observed upon opening this book were of a lovely neighborhood in much need of comfort and the beautiful results after the streets had been lined with trees. Sidewalks had also been created and pathways up to each front porch created a very inviting environment. The trees shaded the walkways and people enjoyed riding their bikes down the streets. The contrast was eye opening and the results very comforting. You can imagine the people living in this area finally feeling like they were home.

The contents include:

The Changing Face of Suburbia
Reinventing Our Neighborhoods for Health, Profit, and Community
Imagining a Sustainable Neighborhood
How to Remodel a Neighborhood
Germination: First Steps
Leafing Out: Bolder Ideas
Your Neighborhood Blossoms: Boldest Steps
Suburban Revitalization I: Can This Dream Become a Reality?
Suburban Revitalization II: Making Bold Dreams Come True
Taking Care in the Neighborhood

This book helps to emphasize the isolation of the typical suburban house and shows how the community design seems to emphasize private space instead of community. This promotes a lack of connection. Could the way we live promote depression and a lack of friendships? Could the way we build communities lessen domestic violence, encourage community interaction and promote a general feeling of well-being?

Like Feng Shui, this book gives ideas for building or restoring neighborhoods to promote happiness and to reduce stress. While some say we are not a product of our environment, it only takes a little research to find out that where there is more hope and a greater sense of community, humans seem to thrive.

"...research reveals that in a closely knit community, levels of serotonin (a natural anti-depressant) are higher, so the neighborhood is collectively more optimistic and energetic." ~pg. 26

The transformations in communities is revealed in pictures that explore the role of nature in our comfort level. Would you rather live behind high brick walls or enjoy a more peaceful and serene landscape of short fences and flowered walkways? In one section, an alleyway between living spaces is transformed into a little piece of heaven.

Some of the features include:

Ten Basic Design Principles for Remodeling Neighborhoods
How to Sponsor Community Dinners
Neighborhood Clubs
Organic Gardens
Replacing asphalt with porous pavers - to reduce heat absorption

As a child, I remember two types of homes. One with a backyard, tightly fenced in, and another with wide-open spaces and easy access to walking through community spaces. I can tell you, I preferred the latter.

This book is filled with wisdom and great advice for city planners and I've seen the idea of producing an edible landscape work efficiently in some areas. As a child we used to pick fruit off trees on the walk home from school. It is a dream that can come true and this book has many ideas that once implemented will improve the lives of everyone in the community. By reading this book, you may also decide to move to a location that values these ideas.

~The Rebecca Review
Currently living in an area without fences and lovely tree-lined walkways

My 10 year old daughter really enjoyed this book. The story is engaging and well written. I highly recommend it.

From the first page to last Mr. Ortiz' expert handling of his protagonist and her world makes this a truly enjoyable read. Whether it's tending the families herb garden or experiencing the sights and sounds (and smells) of London, Susanna's adventures capture the imagination and encourage the reader to accompany her in her exploits. She is witty and charming and worth the time to become better acquainted with.

Remember your high school History? Me neither. "Swan Town" will give you a second chance. It is written in the voice of Shakespeare's 13-year-old daughter Susanna, a girl who has to grow up real fast. And she is the one who will supply you with all the really interesting information about Shakespeare's era. Did Sister William ever tell us about "ducking"? Of course disease was rampant - there were horse droppings all over the streets! Shakespeare had a son named "Hamnet"? Huh! The pudding game...what's that? Need a snappy retort for that rude neighbor? See page 41. Besides providing all these absorbing facts, Susanna places Shakespeare in historical context for you. So maybe the next time you hear Shakespeare quoted you will have a better understanding of what he was saying...or leaving unsaid.

I enjoyed this book enormously. It made me think about the connections between religion, geography, history and the times that are the backdrop in the book. The diary style made the book move quickly, and learning about Shakepeare, his place in history, and the life of a young girl in his day was joyous exploration. A great middle school read for students studying European history or Shakespeare's plays. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

I bought this book for my 11-year-old niece, but I decided to read it first. Mr. Ortiz has given us a superb story for adolescents and for anyone else with a capacity for joy and a weakness for mischief.

The story is in fact structured as a journal, a device that Mr. Ortiz employs to excellent effect. Diary-keeping is still a favorite pastime of girls Susanna's age. What particularly pleased me was the juxtaposition between wisdom and mischief, between soaring delight and the muck left in the tracks of horses and fanatics. Everything is included in the weave.

Swan Town has important, positive values to convey: the goodness of a family, as it germinates in courtship and as it blooms in self-sacrifice; the splendor of the earth and material things; the wonder of language and its artful uses; and ultimately, the profundity of self-giving versus the pettiness of ideology, fear and self-seeking. But because it holds these values, Swan Town is not a tract. It is a good, earthy, beautiful story.

I had thought to finish the book over a long afternoon and evening, but this is a book I had to put down; the writing was often so poetic and lovely that I had to savor it by reading slowly over a few days.

Is this really a book for adolescents? It is, because it requires stretching. It coaxes growth. It expands horizons gently, playfully, and sometimes a little mournfully (but just a little). It is for all maturing children.

I love this book. I received it as a hand-me-down and read it after I had weaned my daughter, and I cried when I got to the part about breastfeeding. What a sweet portrayal of a special bond. The whole book is good - not just the breastfeeding part, so I hope no one is scared off by that. (The book does show the dad giving a bottle to the baby at one point.) The book is a great depiction of the life of a teeny tiny baby - I highly recommend it!

Amy Schwartz has captured precisely what it is like to be a new mom! Every mother who reads this will say, "My baby was exactly like that!" Adorable.

This book will ring true for every parent who has been there night and day serving every whim of their new baby. In those first trying weeks, we all need a big dose of humor which is sorely lacking in most post-natal reading material. Older kids especially love this book and will emphatically deny having ever been so demanding!

If only a baby could talk! This book protrays the life of an infant as seen through his eyes. It is humorous, sweet and I appreciated the reference in the beautiful illustrations to breastfeeding and attachment-carrying with the sling and Snugli. A new "must have" for baby shower gifts!

This is a must-have book for attachment parenting families expecting a sibling! It really helped my 4 and 2-year olds understand what a baby needs, and helped me remember that we've all been there before. Gently humorous, very baby-centered. I'm giving it as a gift to my sister struggling with her new teeny tiny one.

Pure and simple and beautiful and well writen and and good book. Don't miss a rare Harley Davidson Novel "The Second Coming of Age" by: Vedrine

Most of the Harley-Davidson memorabilia books I have read do a fine job of either showing all of the models over time or telling the story of how the product has developed from the beginning. This book also does well in those areas. This Old Harley has the additional benefit of containing fine writing by many of the best authors who have ever written on the subject.

Here are the chapters and the key essays:

1: In the Beginning . . .
"What My Folks Didn't Know, Didn't Hurt . . . Me" by Allan Girdler (former editor of Car Life and Cycle World, and executive editor of Road & Track)
"No Motorcycles Allowed" by Arlen Ness (with Timothy Remus) (Arlen is one of the best-known Harley artists in creating custom machines)
"First Harley" by Peter Egan (columnist and writer for Cycle World)

2: Making History
"My First Motorcycle . . . and What It Led to" by Harry Sucher (well-known motorcycle historian)
"Catching Up on History by David Wright (author of The Harley-Davidson Motor Company: An Official History) (Be sure to catch the photograph of Jayne Mansfield at the beginning of the essay and the "unauthorized" out-takes from the original book)

3: On the Road

"In Pursuit of the Unholy Grail" by Cook Neilson (editor of Cycle magazine from 1970 to 1979)
"A Work in Progress" by Timothy Remus (author of motorcycle art books)
"Riding Through Time: A Knucklehead Returns Home by Buzz Kanter (motorcycle racer and publisher of motorcycle magazines) (This is a great story of riding a cherry red 1947 Knucklehead from Connecticut to Milwaukee in the mid-1990s)

4: Daredevilry

"Hell Driving" by Lucky Lee Lott (motorcycle stunt star)
"Evel Ways" by Evel Knievel (no introduction needed)

5: Legends

"Once Upon a Time in the Wild West" by Michael Dregni (book author) (describes the outlaw imagery of early motorcyclists)
"The Billy Bike: Re-Born to Be Wild" by David Edwards (editor-in-chief of Cycle World) (how the Easy Rider bikes were re-created)

6: The Mystique

"V for Victory: How Harley Conquered the World by Ciara Fox (dedicated Irish motorcyclist)
"This Motorcycle Way" by Dr. Martin Rosenblum (the historian for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company)
"The Perfect Vehicle" by Melissa Pierson (author of a road-trip travelogue)

Along the way, all of my favorite memories of Harleys are recaptured, both visually and in discussions about sound. How many young people today know that the reason that all of those valuable baseball cards got shredded against the spokes of bicycles in the past was to imitate the sound of a Harley?

After you finish enjoying this wonderful book, take the time to make a long road trip on your favorite Harley!

the old pictures are fist class and this book belongs on the den table for all to see.

Any avid fan of the Harley motorcycle will make This Old Harley a part of their collection: it provides a history and tribute to the motorcycle, gathers the stories and legends surrounding it, and charts its rise to transportation fame. Evel Knievel, Allan Girdler and more contribute to this colorful tribute album.

I grew up in the country, in the days before there was much in the way of public transportation. Gasoline was rationed and it was expedient to think before blithely getting in the family car to go off joy-riding. How fortunate I was, then, for my family to have friends who owned motorcycles. Big, brawny men who rode big-brawny motorcyles. Indians and Harley-Davidsons were as much a part of my childhood as the family dogs, Bing and Chip. For two summers in the mid 40s, I even rode to Sunday School every week, on the back of a Harley. (Grandma didn't like that idea very much, but on the other hand, it got me there!) This lovely, splendidly-illustrated book brought back so many wonderful memories, especially the paintings of Dave Barnhouse, one of which adorns the cover, and is again featured on a double-page spread in the book. Another wonderful artist is James "Kingneon" Guçwa, whose paintings in a photorealistic style are so very real and lifelike that you want to reach out to touch those wonderful machines.

Other artists, either those who use words, or those with a camera are also represented in the 160 pages here. Some of the essays will bring smiles, or laughs, or even a wince or two at the reminiscences, especially if they blend in with--or even mirror--your own. Chapters are devoted to 'In the Beginning', 'Making History', 'On the Road', 'Daredevilry', 'Legends' and 'The Mystique'. Photos range from the early days of both photography and motorcycles, to eye-dazzling custom and even 'over' customized beasts. (Many with full technical specifications provided.)

Spending a few hours with this book is almost--not quite, but almost--as good as riding down the highway, the sun and the wind caressing your face (and sometimes its rain or snow!), the full-throated chugga-rumpety, chugga-rumpety of the exhaust echoing through your helmet.

THis is the perfect book for people who like to look at old quilts; I love them, they are traditional quilts with stories about people from back then, and very interesting photos. I bought 2 books, one for my mom in GErmany, one for me, and we talk back and forth about the different pages. I think this is the most wonderful book ever! A happy-maker

Aptly edited by Margaret Aldrich and featuring contributions by Alice Walker, Terry McMillan, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Whitney Otto, Patricia J. Cooper, and Norma Bradley Allen, The Old Quilt: A Heartwarming Celebration Of Quilts And Quilting Memories is a coffee-table sized anthology of stories and memoirs relating to quilts, quilt folklore, and history to intrigue quilters of all predilections. Lavish color photographs, artwork, quilt patterns, and even the occasional cartoon liven the tales with dazzling visual appeal. Wry stories and incredible illustrations make The Old Quilt truly a "must" for any needlecrafting enthusiast of quilts and quilting!

It has been said that "Every quilt tells a story." This Old Quilt tells 'The story of every quilt.' The book warms the hearts and educates the minds of quilters and non-quilters, lovers of the art and collectors of lore. As every enthusiastic quilter, collector of quilts and lover of history can tell you, there is an amazing history within the squares of each handmade quilt and in each individual pattern. The artists very spirit goes into each individual stitch, into every created square, and full circle into the completion of the pattern. Some quilts tell stories, some relay history, some give direction to the wayward and some point the direction to freedom. The editor of this collection sews together a wonderful array of memories, essays, short stories, lore, and historical accounts of quilts involved at every stage from a wide variety of writers. I highly recommend this collection to anyone interested in quilting and also to those of us who just enjoy reading a great book under the warmth of an old quilt. A heartwarming and inspiring collection of interesting facts, experiences, fiction, and heritage lays waiting in these pages. Wrap yourself up in your favorite old quilt, pour yourself a warm 'cup o' joe' and enjoy these intriguing and heartwarming stories in front of a simmering fire. You will love learning something new.

THIS OLD QUILT is a delightful patchwork of quilts, stories, art illustrations and vintage photographs. I was fascinated from the first moment and didn't want to put the book down.

There are five chapters in THIS OLD QUILT and they offer stories about learning to quilt; the quilting traditions of the Amish, Hopi Indians and African Americans; the warmth and love that comes from homemade quilts; the camaraderie of quilting bees; and many lovely stories and poems concerning the American tradition of quilting.

I was so happy to see many of the paintings of Sandi Wickersham that were used to illustrate this book. Sandi lives close by and much of her work is indicative of my area of Virginia. I own a few of her prints and it was fun to find them featured in THIS OLD QUILT. Several other artists including Diane Phalen's work was also used in the book. Their colorful and detailed quilting scenes add an extra layer of depth and pleasure to the book.

I poured over the vintage photographs that are mostly black and white or color enhanced. The ladies from the past are shown displaying their work or sitting among friends and quilting together. One 1936 Depression Era photograph is so striking! It's of a lady standing on the porch of a wooden cabin and displaying her gorgeous quilt that was made in the Dresden Plate pattern. The viewer senses that inside that unpainted cabin, life was probably pretty difficult, but this lady was able to make a work of art out of scraps, and a picture of her beautiful quilt endures for all of us to admire.

There are many lovely stories to read and enjoy, of both fact and fiction. My favorites are: HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT by Whitney Otto, THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB by Sandra Dallas and HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW by Jacqueline Tobin. THIS OLD QUILT is a treasure trove of quilting, memories and lovely pictures. I'm so happy that I treated myself to this endearing book.

This book is a necessity for anyone who enjoys not only
quilting but the art of crafts. It is wonderfully written
and illustrated and successfully portrays the beauty that
is captured through the art of quilt making.

After reading "After the Floods" by the same Author I read this one and found it equally very enjoyable.

Fantastic book with very realistic insights into character's regrets. Each short story ends leaving the reader wanting more.

This is just the smoothest prose. I loved this book, it was a joy to read.

The storied lives of Henricksen's characters include lovers who regret their failed romances, husbands and wives who regret their failed marriages, fathers and mothers who regret how they failed their children. One, attempting to speak to his deceased wife, as "if dust could speak to smoke," says to her, "I wish that we could slip back, as on a trail of ancient starlight falling through time, and begin the story again."

Rather than wallow in self-pity, they attempt to reinvent themselves in the same manner in which one couple's old schoolhouse has become converted into a thriving commercial enterprise.

Some of Henricksen's characters appear in more than one story, giving the book a novelistic quality. In one story you see a character from his own and often delusional point of view. In a following story you see him again from the eyes of other characters.

Together, the characters form an ensemble of loveable losers who have made important bad choices while attempting to make up their lives. Their bad choices are important because they become lessons learned. But as much as they strive to invent and reinvent their lives, they often discover what they have become was not what they had intended.

These are poignant stories whose characters help us behold and feel their failures, shame, and isolation. They are poets who don't know it, poets whose innate sense of humor often helps them endure their pathetic human circumstances, poets who help us attain or regain awareness of who and where we are within the human comedy.

The book concludes with a personal essay in which Henricksen admits his characters are often aspects of himself and "choice slices of my own life." By writing short stories he discovered how "fact and make-believe are allowed to share a bed."

These are wonderful stories of longing and hope sprinkled with humor and regret. Henricksen's style is lyrical and vivid, and his depictions of New Orleans, Minneapolis, and other locales bring today's America to life. For reades who enjoy discovering a new author of real iterary power, this book is an unanticipated gem.

Of all the bread books in my possession,this book is my favorite. I have tried over half of the 200 and some recipes it contains. Because it is simply written, with easy to follow instructions, even a novice bread baker can turn out perfect loaves every time.The focus is on whole grains as a vital role in improving and maintaining good health. I have made several of the recipes, which were mostly the heartier types of bread, such as Bean and Bacon Bread, Jalapeno Pepper Cheese Bread, Sour Cream Herb Bread and Onion Cheese Bread. The book also contains numerous recipes for sweet rolls and quick breads. It provides both traditional method recipes, as well as bread machine recipes. In addition to the great recipes, little pearls of wisdom appear at the bottom of almost all the pages.

If you would love to fill your home with the aroma of fresh baked bread, and at the same time, impress your family and friends with unique bread creations, this book is for you! Its packed with 125 healthful and delicious bread and roll recipes like: Cheddar Bean and Bacon Bread, Cheesey Garlic Rolls, Jalapeno Pepper Cheese Bread, Sour Cream Herb Bread, and an After-The-Game Sandwich,which is a robust braided loaf with cream cheese, havarti, various cold cuts, green pepper and fresh tomato--a meal in itself! The book has a section of sweet breads that includes such delights as Peaches & Cream Cinnamon Rolls, Poppy Seed Braid, Stollen, and Schnecken, a sweet roll made with sour cream, cinnamon, nuts, and raisins. The author's focus is on whole grains as a vital role in improving and maintaining good health. There are several muffin and bread recipes which are wheat free for those with allergies. In this book, the writer has given us many recipes for mixes which can be made ahead, and baked later. The book is a good blend of recipes for traditional breadbaking, as well as recipes for the Bread Machine. It contains many suggestions for enhancing the nutritive values of homebaked bread, as well as easy-to-follow instructions. The author has given us little treasures in the form of inspirational messages at the bottom of almost every page. I gave a copy of Town & Country Creative Breads to each of my friends and relatives so that they could enjoy, first-hand, the bounty of unique and wonderfully satisfying recipes. Bread baking is no longer a mystery because of this book! Its one of my favorites.

If you love to fill your home with the aroma of fresh baked bread, at the same time impress your family and friends with unique creations, this book is for you. Its packed with 125 healthful and delicious bread and roll recipes like Cheddar Bean and Bacon Bread, Cheesey Garlic Rolls,Jalapeno Pepper Cheese Bread,Sour Cream Herb Bread,and Sam Chapman's After The Game Sandwich, which is a robust braided loaf with cream cheese, havarti, various cold cuts, green pepper and tomato, a meal in itself. The book has a section on Sweet Breads that includes such delights as Peaches & Cream Cinnamon Rolls,Poppy Seed Braid, Stollen, and Schnecken, a sweet roll made with sour cream, cinnamon, nuts and raisins. The author's focus is on whole grains as a vital role in improving and maintaining good health. There are several muffin and bread recipes which are wheat free for those with allergies. In the book, the author has given the reader many recipes for preparing mixes ahead of time, then baking them later. The book is a good blend of recipes for traditional methods of bread baking, as well as recipes for the Bread Machine.Easy to follow instructions, with many informative suggestions for enhancing the nutritive values of home-baked bread. The book is simply written and very easy to follow. Your friends and family will enjoy being the recipient of these delicious and healthful recipes. Better yet, give them the book and let them experience first hand the bounty of unique and wonderfully satifying recipes. Bread baking is no longer a mystery to me and my friends! This book is outstanding!

This cookbook covers healthy bread recipes for bread making by hand and for the bread machine. A number of recipes use natural ingrediants only! Wheat free recipes are also listed for those allergic to wheat. Bread mixes and a custom tempered glass bread board is also available!

This cookbook covers healthy bread recipes for bread making by hand and for the bread machine. A number of recipes use natural ingrediants only! Wheat free recipes are also listed for those allergic to wheat. Bread mixes and a custom tempered glass bread board is also available!